This invention relates to a heat exchanger, particularly a radiator for internal-combustion engines of commercial vehicles, comprising a fan shroud which is arranged in front of a ribbed tube block and which is held on the collecting tanks of the ribbed tube block by being placed on it perpendicularly to the front side and then by a relative movement in parallel to the front side by means of a form closure of mutually engaging plug-type brackets with detent devices.
A heat exchanger of this type is known from German Patent Document DE 39 07 926 A1 in the case of which the installation of the fan shroud and the collecting tanks constructed as water boxes is effected by sliding brackets which engage in one another in a locking manner when the fan shroud, first being vertically aligned, is placed by means of corresponding stop guides on the water boxes and is then laterally shifted by a certain extent until the sliding brackets lock in their guides. For the mounting of the fan shroud on the radiator, heat exchangers of this type require only a parallel shifting to the front side but no other fastening devices. Nevertheless, because of the required vertical alignment, the mounting operation is not always easy, particularly when the assembly or a later demounting on the vehicle is to be carried out and the space conditions in the engine compartment are narrow.
It is also known (German Patent Document DE-OS 35 36 457) to carry out the fastening of a fan shroud on collecting tanks by means of elastic shackles with detent hooks, which shackles project from the plane of the edge of the fan shroud into the interior to the ribbed tube block and which detent hooks reach behind corresponding edges of webs on the collecting tank. In this case, stop surfaces on the edge of the fan shroud which are used for securing the position are assigned to the spring shackles. Although this type of fastening ensures a relatively simple mounting, since the form closure is essentially achieved only by means of detent hooks, these constructions, when the heat exchanger is used in the commercial vehicle field, may result in a release of the form closure because of the then occurring severe stresses.
It is an object of the invention to further develop a heat exchanger of the initially mentioned type in such a manner that the mounting between the fan shroud and the heat exchanger assembly is facilitated. For achieving this object, at least one swivel pin/hinge connection is provided between the fan shroud and the collecting tanks and plug-type brackets and detent devices are arranged such that the form closure can take place by a swivelling of the fan shroud about the swivel pin.
This development has the important advantage that only the swivel pin/hinge connection between the fan shroud and the collecting tanks must be established which, however, because only one pin must be introduced into a corresponding opening, requires no difficult aligning operations. Subsequently, a swivelling of the fan shroud about the swivel pin can take place in a simple manner, while the mounting operation no longer requires any significant attention. After the swivel operation, the fan shroud will be locked on the collecting tanks in a form-closing manner.
In a further development of the invention, the swivel pin may be provided on the lower collecting tank and at least one plug-type bracket may be provided on the upper collecting tank so that a good fastening can be achieved. However, it is advantageous for the plug-type pin to be arranged in the area of a lateral part on the lower collecting tank, for a plug-type bracket to be assigned approximately to the center of the upper collecting tank, and for another plug-type bracket to be arranged on the side of the lower collecting tank facing away from the swivel pin. As a result of these measures, a type of three-point fastening is obtained which ensures a secure contact arrangement.
In a further development of the invention, the plug-type bracket may be constructed on the upper collecting tank as a U-shaped receiving pocket into which a bracket engages in a fitting manner which is connected with the fan shroud. In this case, an elastic detent hook, which is mounted on the collecting tank, may secure this bracket in the end position. The lower plug-type bracket, which is arranged on the lower collecting tank, may be constructed as a plug-type slot into which a bracket projecting from the fan shroud can be inserted in a fitting manner. In this case, this bracket can be arranged on the fan shroud in such a manner that its longitudinal axis extends approximately tangentially with respect to a circular are whose center is the swivel pin, In this manner, the bracket can be introduced particularly easily by means of the swivel movement into the slot assigned to it. Finally, it is advantageous for a contact web to be assigned to the bracket arranged on the fan shroud and engaging in the upper collecting tank, which contact web is pressed against a contact surface of the collecting tank in the end position of the fan shroud.